Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite data provides estimates of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) at the ocean surface. The data suite quantifies daily or instantaneous usable light energy in the 400–700 nm range, expressed in moles of photons per square meter. These products are produced by OB_CLOUD and are part of the NASA Earthdata platform.
Use Cases
- Estimate marine primary production based on daily PAR values.
- Interpret phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on light availability.
- Provide context for optical and biogeochemical measurements based on PAR estimates.
- Support ecosystem models based on photosynthetically available radiation.
- Educate on light–biology interactions based on satellite-derived PAR data.
Strengths
- Data provides estimates of a specific geophysical variable (PAR) in the 400–700 nm range.
- Includes both daily (par) and instantaneous (ipar) radiation measurements.
- Data is from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite, a known source for Earth observation.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to satellite data collection.
Provenance
- Source
- OB_CLOUD via NASA Earthdata
- Collection Method
- Satellite-based remote sensing from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument.
- Geography
- Global